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How To Get Promoted Part 2

Career Development – Get that Promotion; Part 2

How To Get Promoted – are you doing well in your present role but feel ready for the next step up? Even in this tough economic climate some people are still managing to get promotion. But how do you make yourself part of that élite group? This is the second in a two post series. Here is a link to Part 1 – link

How To Get Promoted – Last week I suggested that you should;

Create a portfolio of work you have done, showing your value to the organization,

Volunteer for more responsibility,

Create your own opportunity,

Let your ambition show but with discretion,

Ask for a private meeting to discuss properly how you are doing.

Now here are a further six tips to help you on your way.

Take a deep breath and blow your own trumpet

It is OK to do so if you know the notes to play. You can afford to brag a little, but with care. It doesn’t hurt to remind your boss of your accomplishments. Bosses are human and they do forget things; it helps if you can prompt and do it with facts and figures. Saying you are the Greatest may raise some laughs but that kind of bragging won’t make the kind of impression you want. If you have reduced costs or made some other improvement – quote the numbers. Make sure you concentrate on what is good about your performance, putting down someone else’s performance to make you look good isn’t impressive.

Blackmail doesn’t usually work

Avoid threats and demands. Making your boss squirm is not going to make them want to go out of their way to help you. Threatening to leave will not make your boss think better of you. Using it as blackmail can rebound and lead to doubts about your loyalty. Stay calm and if you feel frustrated, try not to show it.

Have friends in high places

Mentors further up the line are always valuable. If you can get someone on your side before you ask for promotion, it offers great benefits. You will be better informed about what life is like higher up. And it will show your boss you are serious about getting on. It gives you informal influence (outside the organization chart) and it will give you a friendly ear if things get a little tough.

Shine in your present post

Your present role gives you the opportunity to show what you can do. Push it as far as you can – go the extra mile. Work out what excellence really means in the job you do and make that the standard! Beat the deadlines and make a reputation for solving problems. That way you become someone who everyone wants on their team and they can see what an asset you will be at a more senior level. But don’t be personally indispensable. Build a structure that means the your team can function well without you, but make sure people know that it is your team. That way your boss won’t be so scared of losing you that they block your promotion.

Model more senior behaviour

Note how senior people in your organization behave. How do they talk, behave and think? Pick someone you admire and respect. Now use them as a role model. Start to behave in the way that you would like to be perceived.

Keep learning

Take every opportunity to learn more about your field, your profession and the organization in which you work. It will better equip you for a more senior role and it will also impress your boss. It will show that you are serious. About promotion. You will find lots of self-study material on-line which makes it a little easier to combine study with full-time work. No, it isn’t easy to study when you are working but if it is a real investment in you.

Wendy Smith, Principal Coach, WiseWolf Life and Career Coaching

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search – you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

How To Get Promoted

Career Development – Get that Promotion; Part 1

How To Get Promoted – are you doing well in your present role but feel ready for the next step up? Even in this tough economic climate some people are still managing to get promotion. But how do you make yourself part of that élite group? This is the first in a two post series – here is the link to the second post – link.

Create Your Portfolio

Lots of people simply work away at the job – just getting on with it. They deliver lots of good things but they keep a very low profile and no one notices. Make sure you can prove the results you have achieved and make sure the right people know about them. Put together a portfolio of the work you have done, showing your value to the organization.

Put in the numbers. Show how, and by how much, you have helped the organization. Prepare a presentation based on your portfolio and ask your boss for the opportunity to show it to them. This is particularly useful when you want your boss to sponsor you for a promotion – you need to give your boss the facts they need to support your case. If you want them to fight for you, you need to give them the ammunition.

Volunteer for more responsibility

Tell your boss you are ready, willing and able to take on more responsibility. Show how you would set about dealing with a more diverse workload. Make clear that it isn’t the status you will relish, but the work itself. Give your boss the opportunity to give you new and different tasks. Then, when you have built your tasks up to well exceed your job specification, prove it and show your boss what you are achieving. Now, ask for recognition in terms of your boss supporting your bid for promotion.

Create your own opportunity

Can you see an opportunity in your organization; a potential role that no one else has thought about. Can you show how it could help the organization and pay for itself. Is it a role that you can fill? Put the case together and have the confidence to ask to present it. Even if they don’t follow-up your ideas, you will win points for ingenuity and creativity, plus you will have demonstrated loyalty to the organization.

Let your ambition show, but with discretion

Don’t be afraid to let them know you are ambitious but do it with care. Here is an example. Do your team meet up with the boss outside the workplace? This can give you an opportunity to let your boss know about your ambitions. But you need to do it with sensitivity. People are more receptive over a drink or a meal, particularly if they are very task focussed in the office. Use this time with discretion. If you press too hard, you could make your boss and yourself feel uncomfortable. And don’t make your boss themselves feel threatened. Make it light and back off if you sense what you are saying isn’t going down well.

Ask for a private meeting

If you and your boss are really busy then trying to talk about promotion while you are working isn’t going to have the effect you want. And you need time to set out your case. Ask to set a block of time to one side to talk but don’t say specifically that you want to talk about promotion. Don’t make it too mysterious though – it is reasonable to ask for some time to talk properly about how you are doing. If you can, do your best to make sure all goes well at work in the hours before your meeting.

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search – you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

Last week I suggested that you should;

Create a portfolio of work you have done, showing your value to the organization,

Volunteer for more responsibility,

Create your own opportunity,

Let your ambition show but with discretion,

Ask for a private meeting to discuss properly how you are doing.

Now here are a further five tips to help you on your way.

Take a deep breath and blow your own trumpet

It is OK to do so if you know the notes to play. You can afford to brag a little, but with care. It doesn’t hurt to remind your boss of your accomplishments. Bosses are human and they do forget things; it helps if you can prompt and do it with facts and figures. Saying you are the Greatest may raise some laughs but that kind of bragging won’t make the kind of impression you want. If you have reduced costs or made some other improvement – quote the numbers. Make sure you concentrate on what is good about your performance, putting down someone else’s performance to make you look good isn’t impressive.

Blackmail doesn’t usually work

Avoid threats and demands. Making your boss squirm is not going to make them want to go out on a limb to help you. Threatening to leave will not make your boss think better of you and using it as blackmail can rebound; there will certainly be future doubts about your loyalty. Stay calm and, if you feel frustrated, try not to show it.

Have friends in high places

Mentors further up the line are always valuable. If you can get someone on your side before you ask for promotion, it offers great benefits. You will be better informed about what life is like higher and it will show your boss you are serious about getting on. It gives you informal influence (outside the organization chart )and it will give you a friendly ear if things get a little tough.

Shine in your present post

Your present role gives you the opportunity to show what you can do. Push it as far as you can – go the extra mile. Work out what excellence really means in the job you do and make that the standard! Beat the deadlines and make a reputation for solving problems. That way you become someone that everyone wants on their team and they can see what an asset you will be at a more senior level. But don’t be personally indispensable. Build a structure that means the your team can function well without you, but make sure people know that it is your team. That way your boss won’t be so scared of losing you that they block your promotion.

Keep learning

Take every opportunity to learn more about your field, your profession and the organization in which you work. It will better equip you for a more senior role and it will also impress your boss. It will show that you are serious. About promotion. You will find lots of self study material on line which makes it a little easier to combine study with full time work. No, it isn’t easy to study when you are working but if it is a real investment in you.

Wendy Smith is a career and life coach with depth of experience in career coaching, business coaching and personal development. She helps clients find a new career direction, start-up new businesses and achieve a better work/life balance. You can contact Wendy at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Are you doing well in your present role but feel ready for the next step up? Even in this tough economic climate some people are still managing to get promotion. But how do you make yourself part of that élite group? This is the first in a two post series – look out for the second post next week.

Create Your Portfolio

Lots of people labour away at the job – just getting on with it. They deliver lots of good things but they keep such a low profile that no one notices. Make sure you can prove the results you have achieved and make sure the right people know about them,. Put together a portfolio of the work you have done, showing your value to the organization. Where you can, put in the numbers. Show how, and by how much, you have helped them. Prepare a presentation based on your portfolio and ask your boss for the opportunity to show it to them. This is particularly useful when you want your boss to sponsor you for a promotion – you need to give your boss the facts they need to support your case. If you want them to fight for you, you need to give them the ammunition.

Volunteer for more responsibility

Tell your boss you are ready, willing and able to take on more responsibility. Show how you would set about dealing with a more diverse workload. Make clear that it isn’t the status you will relish, but the work itself. Give your boss the opportunity to give you new and different tasks. Then when you have built your tasks up to well exceed your job specification – prove it and show your boss what you are achieving. Now ask for recognition in terms of your boss supporting your bid for promotion.

Create your own opportunity

Can you see an opportunity in your organization; a potential role that no one else has thought of. Can you show how it could help the organization and pay for itself. Is it a role that you can fill? Put the case together and have the confidence to ask to present it. Even if they don’t follow-up your ideas, you will win points for ingenuity and creativity, plus you will have demonstrated loyalty to the organization.

Let your ambition show, but with discretion

Don’t be afraid to let them know you are ambitious but do it with care. Here is an example. Do your team meet up with the boss outside the workplace? This can give you an opportunity to let your boss know about your ambitions. But you need to do it with sensitivity. People are more receptive over a drink or a meal, particularly if they are very task focussed in the office. Use this time with discretion. If you press too hard, you could make your boss and yourself feel uncomfortable. And don’t make your boss themselves feel threatened. Make it light and back off if you sense what you are saying isn’t going down well.

Ask for a private meeting

If you and your boss are really busy then trying to talk about promotion while you are working isn’t going to have the effect you want. And you need time to set out your case. Ask to set a block of time to one side to talk but don’t say specifically that you want to talk about promotion. Don’t make it too mysterious though – it is reasonable to ask for some time to talk properly about how you are doing. If you can, do your best to make sure all goes well at work in the hours before your meeting.

Wendy Smith is a career and life coach with depth of experience in career coaching, business coaching and personal development. She helps clients find a new career direction, start-up new businesses and achieve a better work/life balance. You can contact Wendy at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Business coaching is a powerful approach forthose wanting to develop their own careers, or those of their staff, and people facing career transition.

Improve leadership and management skills

Think through options and develop successful action plans

Communicate with people at all levels with authority and confidence

Motivate teams and turn them into high performing and highly motivated units

Increase commitment to organizational goals

HOW WILL I BENEFIT FROM COACHING?Coaching enhances your ability to learn, create, make desired changes, and achieve goals. In a coaching relationship, your coach works with you to:

Get clear about what you want to accomplish

Solve problems and eliminate obstacles

Set specific goals and make effective action plans

Learn new skills and techniques

Gain perspective, get feedback, and discover new ideas

Stay true to your vision, focused on your goals, and on track with your plans

WHO BECOMES A COACHING CLIENT?Business coaching is appropriate for any manager or professional who wishes to reach their full potential or manage an enforced change to best advantage.

Wendy Mason has depth of experience as a manager, consultant, coach and mentor.

She specializes in supporting people and organizations, particularly those going through change and transformation. She provides a discrete business coaching service for those wanting to develop their own careers, or those of their staff and people facing career transition. She is used to working with people from diverse backgrounds and her experience includes public, private and voluntary sectors. You can find her full resume on LinkedIn at http://uk.linkedin.com/in/wendymasonwisewolf

WHEN DO I NEED A BUSINESS COACH?You should consider working with a coach when you are:

Wanting to improve the way you carry out your present role

Newly promoted

Moving from a professional/technical role to general manager

Taking on major new project

Getting ready for the next promotion

Contemplating a career change

Wanting to do career stock take before planning for the future

Starting a new business

Choosing to make significant changes in how your business or organization works

Having trouble managing people, projects, or time

Facing significant changes in how your business or organization works

Facing an enforced personal change like redundancy

IS COACHING DIFFERENT FROM CONSULTING? Yes… and no. Traditional consulting focuses on offering external solutions and prescriptive advice. Coaching facilitates the discovery of answers that are uniquely your own. Your coach provides guidance, expertise, recommendations, and skill-building techniques whenever they are useful, but doesn’t do things for you, nor tell you exactly what to do. Coaching is typically more allied to training or mentoring than it is to consulting, because the emphasis is on your own learning and experience rather than on specific answers provided by an outside expert. Your coach will supply you with ideas, resources, models, and systems that are proven to work, but won’t hand you a completed action plan nor assert that there’s only one right way to accomplish your goals.

HOW DO I GET STARTED? One-on-one coaching can happen in one to one meetings or over the phone. You may offer ongoing coaching or single sessions. You may also choose coaching for your management, project team or work group.Ongoing coaching relationships begin with an initial session to create an overall strategy. Regular coaching sessions are the held weekly, biweekly, or monthly.Single or “a la carte” coaching sessions are available at an hourly rate. Your first session has a one-hour minimum; subsequent sessions may be shorter if desired.On-site team coaching is available in half-day or full-day sessions. You may also wish to consider follow-up group sessions via teleconference.

COACHING WORKS. Find out more about what coaching can do for you! To arrange a free confidential, exploratory discussion please email wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com or, if you prefer, call ++44(0)7867681439 and speak to Wendy.